This is a record of my journey as a Muslim. I used to be Catholic and belonged to a missionary organisation. After my conversion, I sat on the board of a Muslim converts' organisation and specialised in da'wah programmes, convert management, interfaith issues and apostasy cases. I am an initiate of a Sufi order. As such, the articles and writings tend to cover these areas.
All the Arabic and graphics could not have been done without the help of my wife, Zafirah.

Thursday, 30 March 2017

Imam an-Nawawi (r.a.) on whether the Prophet (s.a.w.) Fasted in Rajab

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In
Swahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawud and Musnad Ahmad,
‘Utsman ibn Hakim al-Answari (r.a.) is
recorded to have said, “I asked Sa`id ibn Jubayr about fasting in Rajab, and we
were then passing through the month of Rajab, whereupon he said, ‘I heard ibn ‘Abbas
saying, ‘The Messenger of Allah used to observe fast so continuously that we
thought he would never break it, and at other times he remained without fasting
so continuously that we thought he would never fast.’’” Imam Muslim (r.a.) and Imam Abu Dawud (r.a.)
related it in Kitab asw-Swawm,
respectively in the chapter on fasting at times other than Ramadhan, and in the
chapter of fasting during Rajab. Imam
Ahmad (r.a.) also recorded this in
his Musnad.

Imam
an-Nawawi (r.a.) commented in Sharh Swahih Muslim on this saying, “It
appears that the meaning inferred by Sa’id ibn Jubayr from ibn ‘Abbas's report
is that fasting in Rajab is neither forbidden nor considered praiseworthy in
itself, rather, the ruling concerning it is the same as the rest of the months.” This is also the commentary of Imam al-Qasthalani
(r.a.) in al-Mawahib al-Jaduniyyah.
Imam an-Nawawi (r.a.) continued, “Neither prohibition nor praiseworthiness has been
established for the month of Rajab in itself, however, the principle concerning
fasting is that it is praiseworthy in itself, and in the Sunan of Abu
Dawud, the Prophet (s.a.w.) has made
the fasting of the sacred months praiseworthy, and Rajab is one of them. And
Allah knows best.”